Geology of select stone : I sculpt stones that have fascinating geologic histories
British Columbia Jackass Conglomerate
This generally gray, black and white conglomerate is a called polymictic because of the wide variety of rock types it contains. It was originally deposited in a fast flowing stream along an ancient mountain range in central British Columbia during the lower Cretaceous period. During the Pleistocene Ice Ages, glaciers picked up, dragged south and dropped off this durable stone. It can be found as surface glacial “erratics” throughout the North Puget Sound region, including on our very own Orcas Island.
Mayer Quarry Limestone Onyx
The historic Mayer quarry, discovered in the late 1800s, contains limestone onyx comes in two varieties: Grand Canyon Onyx, with layers of brown, red, white and green, and Black Canyon Onyx, in black, gray, dark brown and white. This onyx was created as hot springs water, rich in calcium carbonate and minor trace minerals, evaporated in volcanic caverns leaving behind intricate, interwoven layers of translucent stone. This quarry has provided decorative accents from art deco kitchens, to dashboards of 1920’s Fords to wall panels today.
Hecata Polymictic Conglomerate
Polymictic conglomerates contain many different rock types which are welded together to form an integrated amalgamation of stones. This polymictic is from SE Alaska and records a high-energy streambed flowing from an ancient mountain range. Dazzling in colors and mesmerizing in complexity. With stones such as these, I keep my designs simple.
Twin Sisters Dunite
Dunite is a very unusual upper mantle, metamorphic rock which rose from over 10 miles below the Earth's surface to be emplaced in the northern Cascade Mountains over 70 million years ago. Twin Sisters mountains of NW Washington State are made entirely of Dunite and represent the largest single outcrop of this stone in the world. It is almost entirely made from the ferro-magnesium mineral Olivine. It is a very heavy stone which when polished produces a beautiful light to dark green, modeled fabric reminiscent to storm clouds drifting over a modern skyscraper.